Trump traveling to Pa. today after including Philly on immigration list; suburban counties fear loss of funds
Donald Trump is scheduled to speak in Pittsburgh Friday after threatening to pull federal funding from several Pa. cities and counties.
Philadelphia and other cities and counties in Pennsylvania were included in a list of sanctuary jurisdictions released by the White House Thursday.
The city could face federal funding cuts if it doesn't cooperate with ICE to detain undocumented immigrants, according to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump. Here's what to know.
A Parker administration official previously said the city may sue if it lost federal funding. But the mayor so far has not sought a direct confrontation with the White House and offered a muted response Thursday.
Trump is speaking in Pittsburgh today, which was also included in the list.
Donald Trump traveling to Pittsburgh today
President Donald Trump will return to Pennsylvania on Friday for his first rally in the state since his reelection, speaking in front of a crowd of steelworkers outside Pittsburgh.
Trump will appear at Irvin Works Plant in West Mifflin, a steel processing facility outside Pittsburgh operated by U.S. Steel, according to his public calendar.
The president is scheduled to arrive at Allegheny County Airport at 4:35 p.m., and will deliver his remarks at 5 p.m. After that, he's scheduled to return back to Washington, D.C. and be back at the White House by around 8 p.m.
Philadelphia says it’s a ‘welcoming’ — not ‘sanctuary’ — city as the Trump administration threatens funding cuts
A Philadelphia that proudly stood among the strongest of sanctuary cities has formally discarded the name.
It’s now a “welcoming city.”
That’s according to Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s top attorney, who confirmed what has been a slow but dramatic shift in labeling as the Trump administration bears down on the city. Parker administration officials said, however, that policies requiring justice workers to treat immigrants like everyone else remain in place.
City should having started preparing for list's impacts earlier, Councilmember Jamie Gauthier says
Philadelphia City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier said Trump’s sanctuary jurisdictions list wasn’t a surprise, but that the city should have started making preparations for such events last year.
“I worry about the time that we have lost,” Gauthier told The Inquirer Friday.
She said she was “pleased” to hear City Solicitor Renee Garcia tell City Council earlier this month that the city is ready to litigate against the Trump administration if the city loses its federal funding. But the councilmember wants that approach to be paired “with one that provides robust resources to our immigrant communities in this moment.”
New Jersey not a sanctuary state, AG Matt Platkin says
Despite being placed on the sanctuary jurisdiction list by the Trump administration, “New Jersey is not a sanctuary state,” state Attorney General Matt Platkin said in response to a request for comment from The Inquirer on Friday. “We routinely cooperate with federal authorities to remove violent offenders and to keep New Jerseyans safe.”
Platkin stressed, however, that the state follows the so-called Immigrant Trust Directive, which blocks state law-enforcement officers from asking people about their immigration status. It also precludes officers from helping ICE agents make detention arrests, “ensuring that victims and witnesses can safely come forward to report crimes regardless of their immigration status.”
The directive was issued during the first Trump administration in 2018.
Officials in Philly suburbs fear a loss of federal funding
What is at stake should the Trump administration revoke federal funding for so-called sanctuary jurisdictions?
Leaders in Philadelphia’s suburban collar counties are hesitant to make assumptions without clear guidelines from the government, though they have some ideas.
Delaware County’s federal funding “really flows through the state of Pennsylvania,” said Councilmember Christine Reuther, a Democrat. “It’s not clear it will have a direct impact on us.”
'We are not all criminals': Undocumented immigrants in Philly respond to sanctuary list
Philadelphia is in the list of sanctuary jurisdictions impeding federal immigration enforcement. Instead of panicking by the implication, a young Venezuelan undocumented immigrant refuses to let this new development determine her life.
In February, the Inquirer met the then-20-year-old cleaning tables at an Italian Market restaurant. Amid potential ICE raids, her fear was so intense she refused to leave her home for anything but work.
Four months into the Trump administration, things have changed.
Delco, Chesco leaders dismiss inclusion on Trump's sanctuary list
Leaders in Delaware and Chester counties strongly dismissed the Department of Homeland Security's notion those areas were “sanctuary jurisdictions,” suggesting the designation was baseless and politically motivated.
“We’ve never turned down an ICE request,” said Josh Maxwell, a Democratic commissioner in Chester County. “I think it’s more about PR and an ideology than pragmatically removing people from the country who entered here illegally and committed crimes.”
Like Maxwell, Christine Reuther, a Democratic councilmember in Delaware County, said the suburban county has never passed a sanctuary policy for undocumented immigrants.
Trump's sanctuary cities list is the latest in his longstanding anti-immigration agenda
Trump won Pennsylvania - and improved his margins in Philadelphia - with the same campaign playbook that helped him get elected in 2016: attacking Democratic cities and illegal immigration.
His release of a lengthy list of cities and counties that he says violate his administration’s immigration enforcement orders, and threats to withhold federal funding if certain policies don’t change, expands on his longstanding war on undocumented immigrants.
“This is absolutely a political action and this is part of a bigger strategy and pattern that we’ve seen utilized time and time again and that is the use of fear,” said Jasmine Rivera, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition. “Fear has long been weaponized. What we’ve been seeing but also what we heard on the campaign trail is an expansion of who is in the crosshairs.”
Maps: The cities and counties in Pa. and N.J. included on Trump's list
What's the Philadelphia School District's policy on immigrant students?
Philadelphia landed on a list of sanctuary jurisdictions named Thursday by the Trump administration.
But its school district, eighth largest in the U.S., also has a “welcoming sanctuary schools” policy.
The policy, passed in 2021, affirms the district’s commitment to shield immigrant students and families from inquiries by federal immigration authorities, among other protections.
Councilmember says Philly remains committed to being 'a welcoming and inclusive place'
Councilmember Jeffery Young Jr. said Friday that Philadelphia "remains committed to being a welcoming and inclusive place for all who call it home" and that threats of federal funding cuts "for refusing to serve as extensions of federal immigration enforcement" undercut the city's values and ability to govern on a local level.
"Our priority is the safety, health, and well-being of every resident regardless of immigration status," Young said in a statement. "Policies that foster trust between immigrant communities and local government are essential to effective public safety and community cohesion."
Young said he will continue to work "closely" with Mayor Cherelle Parker, District Attorney Larry Krasner, and the Philadelphia Law Department to "ensure Philadelphia stands by its commitment to protect all its residents, uphold constitutional rights, and reject fear-based politics that target vulnerable communities."
Camden officials confused by inclusion on Trump's sanctuary city list
It's "deeply troubling that Camden is being singled out” as a sanctuary city, Camden City Council President Angel Fuentes said in a statement Friday morning.
Fuentes believes Camden — which once considered, but never approved a resolution designating it a sanctuary city — is being targeted simply because it’s a diverse, predominantly Hispanic community.
The sanctuary designation, Fuentes went on to say, is “less about policy and more about advancing harmful narratives and punishing communities.”
Sanctuary city or just welcoming? The difference could mean billions for Philly.
What’s in a name?
Billions of dollars in federal funding, city officials are hoping.
When President Donald Trump’s administration yesterday listed Philadelphia among the “sanctuary” jurisdictions the federal government may target for federal cuts, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker had options.
Pennsylvania not a 'sanctuary state,' says Shapiro spokesperson
A spokesperson for Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a statement that Shapiro “has made clear” that the state is “not a sanctuary state.”
“We continue to follow all state and federal laws, comply with court orders and coordinate with law enforcement partners at all levels when appropriate in order to keep our communities safe,” said Manuel Bonder, a spokesperson for Shapiro, in a statement.
However, Bonder did not comment on the number of Pennsylvania counties and cities that were named on the federal government’s non-compliance list.
Philadelphia ends up on Trump's sanctuary city list
Philadelphia stood among 16 Pennsylvania cities and counties named Thursday night on a Trump administration list of sanctuary jurisdictions, places to be formally notified of what the president calls their noncompliance with federal immigration law.
At potential risk are billions of dollars in aid that flow to hundreds of communities across the United States.
Montgomery, Delaware and Chester Counties were on the list. So were the cities of Pittsburgh, Gettysburg, State College, and York.
Philly ready ‘to litigate’ after being included on Trump's sanctuary city list
An official from Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration said Tuesday that they are prepared to go to court if federal authorities identify Philadelphia as a so-called “sanctuary city” and decide to revoke its federal funding under a new executive order signed by President Donald Trump.
City Solicitor Renee Garcia on Tuesday offered City Council the Parker administration’s most articulated position thus far on the president’s April 28 executive order that will create a list of “sanctuary jurisdictions” the Trump administration believes subvert federal immigration law. The metrics for how officials are determining impacted jurisdictions remain unknown, and it is unclear whether Philadelphia will be targeted.
According to the order, the listed jurisdictions will be notified of their status and, if they maintain their sanctuary policy, could face federal funding cuts or legal action.
Burlington County confused to be included on Trump's list
A Burlington County spokesperson said in a statement that the officials were surprised Thursday night upon learning that the county has been labeled a sanctuary jurisdiction by the federal government.
“County commissioners approved no resolutions, policies, or directives related to immigration enforcement in the past six years,” said Dave Levinsky.
He pointed out that, without citing examples, the Trump administration “accused the county of not following the law.”
How much money could Philadelphia lose?
Philadelphia received $2.2 billion in federal funding in the 2024 fiscal year, roughly a third of the city's $6.2 billion budget. The majority of those federal funds goes towards health and social services programs.
If the city loses most or all of its federal funding, the potential impacts would be "grave and extremely concerning," Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said during a March interview.
In early May, City Solicitor Renee Garcia offered City Council the administration’s most articulated position on President Donald Trump’s order, saying the city was prepared to go to court if any attempt was made to halt federal funding.
What is a sanctuary city?
Sanctuary cities are typically defined as places that limit law-enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
The term “sanctuary” is in many ways inaccurate. Undocumented immigrants receive no special protections in those jurisdictions.
The difference is so-called sanctuary cities choose not to help ICE do its work, saying local police must focus on local policing — which includes arresting and jailing undocumented immigrants accused of committing crimes.